50 Saenuri Lawmakers Demand Resignation of Party Leadership

Some 50 ruling Saenuri lawmakers, critical of President Park Geun-hye, have demanded the resignation of the party's current leadership for their failure to properly deal with the Choi Soon-sil scandal.

Representative Hwang Young-cheul said the lawmakers agreed to lodge the demand during a meeting at the National Assembly on Monday.

They have already collected signatures from other legislators in support of the action and plan to call a meeting of party members to further discuss the matter.

Hwang said while Monday's meeting was attended by 41 lawmakers, including heavyweights like Kim Moo-sung and Shim Jae-chul, the number of members who have expressed support to remove the leadership reached 54.

In a separate move, 21 other Saenuri lawmakers formed a group on Sunday and demanded the resignation of the current leadership along with a thorough investigation into the widening scandal.